Review of the 2014 Holiday Edition Journey Girls The Mikaellas, Blonde and Brunette

I had been expecting Toys R Us to come out with a holiday edition Journey Girl for 2014, but I had forgotten to keep an eye out for it.  For one thing, I had expected it to come out near Christmas.  However, the fact is, I am so behind on my reviews...that I just can't stand to look at dolls at the moment.  Fortunately, my mom--who is actually responsible for making me behind with all her purchases to be reviewed--saw that they had come out while browsing on ebay.  Whether you are a collector, a parent, or a seller...you do not want to miss the opportunity to get these dolls.

When Jordana had came out, I thought it was just a way of introducing a new Journey Girl.  I fully expected her to be re-released this year with the other dolls--though of course, not in the fancy outfit.  I was rather disappointed to see that this was not the case.  However, I realized that the holiday editions are meant to be limited edition collectibles.  These dolls are going to be limited production, and they will never be re-released.  Jordana was released last year at $49.99.  She disappeared fast and is now hard to find.  On Amazon, she is going for over $200.00

Jordana can still be found on Amazon...but not less than for $200.00

This year, Toys R Us released two dolls.  I thought it was going to be two different dolls, even though they wore the same dress.  It is a little confusing.  The dolls have identical dresses and accessories.  They are both named Mikaella.  They both are culinary lovers, and they are joining the Journey Girls for their trip in London.  However, the pictures of the real girls are different--one appears to be an Indian, and the other is Caucasian.  The eye color is different--the blonde has blue eyes, and the brunette has brown eyes.  Of course, the hair color is different.  The blonde sometimes actually looks like a red-head...what we used to call strawberry blondes.

So, what are we supposed to think?  Did Toys R Us release one doll with the idea we could choose whether we wanted a brunette or blonde Mikaella?  Or do we want to create a story where these two girls are actually fraternal twins?  Like in that Parent Trap movie, their parents split up when they were born.  The mother took one, and the father took the other.  The parents both liked the name Mikaella, and each decided to name their daughter that.  Years later, the Mikaellas accidentally meet--both wearing the same dress and discovering they both like cooking.

PRODUCT DETAILS  (*Information will apply to both dolls unless otherwise stated)

Recommended Age:  6+ (not for children under 3 years because of choking hazard)
Doll biography:  Mikaella joins the Journey Girls for a sparkling 2014 holiday season in London.  This culinary lover celebrates the occasion in royal style with her grande purple gown and luxurious accessories.
Conforms to the Safety Requirements of  ASTM F963  (I finally googled what this means.  It turns out this is a very broad definition.  What it essentially means is that the toy has been tested to make sure that it can't injure your child during play.  The surface paint is not toxic or won't come off.  The noises won't be too loud. The toy is cleanable.  These are some examples that are on a long list of requirements that have to be tested.  The only thing it doesn't cover is whether the toy is flammable).
Put out by:  Geoffrey LLC, a subsidiary of Toys R Us Inc.
Date Produced:  2014
Made in China
Size:  18 inches (46 cm)
Cost when first released:  $49.99 (from Toys R Us)
Hair Color:  Blonde or Brunette
Eye Color:  Blue eyes for the blonde, brown eyes for the brunette.  Eyes do not close.
Skin Color:  White (even for the brunette that is supposed to be an Indian)
UPC for Blonde Doll:  803516350139
UPC for Brunette Doll: 803516475580
Movement:  Typical baby doll movement.  Head can go side to side.  Arms move up and down in forward/backward motion.  They have limited movement going up on the side (if doll wants to flap arms like a bird).  Torso does not twist.  Legs can rotate a bit and go up and down.  Elbows, hands, knees, and ankles do not bend.  Doll can stand on her own, though the Mikaellas are a little top heavy.  They can sit down if propped or hands are put behind them, though again the Mikaellas may have more difficulty due to their clothes.
Composition:  Vinyl head, chest plate, arms, and legs.  The lower torso is cloth.
Box Contents:  1 18 inch (46 cm) doll wearing a purple flower headband, a faux fur black shrug, light and dark purple contrast layered dress, purple shoes, oval shaped necklace, matching purple purse with jewel, jeweled flower on waistband, pearl bracelet, black tulle gloves 
Ease of opening:  Very hard! The box opens from the left side.  You have to be sure to cut all the tape around the edges, top, and bottom.  I don't recall Jordana's box being so difficult to get into.  I had to pretty much undo the cardboard from all around the doll in order to free her, which I wasn't happy about.

Unlike regular Journey Girl boxes, this box opens from the side.

Things inevitably always come out when you don't feel like spending the money on them.  I would have preferred to have waited until I was a little more flush, but I knew that if I wanted them, I had better get them.  Truthfully, I wasn't even that impressed by the dolls, but I assumed they would become a collectible--and I remember that Jordana hadn't seemed that impressive in the box.  My mom found them late at night on ebay, and at the time I was about to go to bed.  Even this delay threatened my chances of getting them.  When I went to the Toys R Us website the next morning, they weren't listed.  I googled and found another link.  I placed the order for both the blonde and brunette doll.  Toys R Us confirmed the order.  Then I waited...and waited.  Toys R Us wrote a letter and said that due to customer demand, the dolls would be shipped separately.  Yet, I did not receive a shipment confirmation.  I was wondering if Toys R Us even had these dolls yet, but then some doll collectors claimed they were in store...and some already had pictures up on their blog.  I waited some more, and still the dolls had not shipped.  I began to expect a letter saying, "Sorry, they already have sold out.  It sucks being you!"  Finally, one of the dolls shipped.  Then it got delivered to the wrong post office, and the delivery date was delayed.  But happily, not only did the one doll come, but the other did too.

I first opened the blonde Mikaella's box, as she was the first to arrive.  Even before she was out of the box, I was displeased by the hair--which I could see was too dry.  Even before I had cut the ties, the hair was getting snarled.

In the pictures, as I've said before, blonde Mikaella can sometimes look like a redhead.  However, my doll had honey-colored blonde hair.  The cut was very similar to 2012 Winter Edition Kelsey's--layered and ending in loose curls, though they had pulled the shorter hair to the back in a half ponytail.  This dolls suffered the same problems that Winter Edition Kelsey did--not only with being prone to snarling, but also the hairstyle tended to show bald spots.  The doll has plenty of hair (which is rooted), but the style will reveal the scalp.  Now this is no big deal exactly.  You can comb them over, but the problem is that this hair promised to become a mess if you fiddled with it too much.

However, it turns out that this problem is not a problem apparently with all dolls.  When I checked the brunette Mikaella, her hair seemed nice.  My mom also ordered a blonde and brunette Mikaella, and both of her dolls did not seem to have this problem.

I found Mikaella to be an attractive enough doll, but she lacked the striking beauty that I had always associated with Journey Girls.  At first, I blamed the expression.  I thought it was rather pinched.  I supposed that she was supposed to look like the typical proper British school girl, and part of that look is keeping a tight expression...the old famous "keeping a stiff upper lip" thing that the Brits are known for.

Journey Girls Chavonne (left) and Taryn (right) show off the speckled eyes that contribute to the beauty of the dolls

Then I realized the problem was her eyes.  The upper eyelashes were very coarse.  However, the eyes themselves looked like a cheaper plastic.  They were not speckled to resemble real eyes.  I never realized it, but the eyes are what really adds to the beauty of Journey Girls.  At first, I thought Mikaella didn't have bottom eyelashes.  Usually Journey Girls have painted bottom eyelashes.  However, it turned out she did have them...but they are so light that they are practically invisible.  This gives the doll's eyelids a rather reptilian look, I think.

The outfit is lovely, and it is made of relatively good fabric.  My photo doesn't quite do it justice.  The purple headband resembles 2013 Kyla's headband, except it is purple.  However, like Kyla's, it has a flower.  Mikaella has a black faux fur shrug.  The dress is purple with a lighter purple contrast.  The lighter fabric has a circular print.  The darker purple fabric is silk-like.  The waist band has a purple rosette with a lovely flowered jewel in the center.  The bottom of the dress is layered.  The back of the dress is not as impressive as the front.  I first said the gloves were made of a fishnet material, but actually it is probably closer to tulle.

Unlike Jordana--and most Journey Girls, for that matter, that wear dresses--Mikaella does not have underwear.  The purple shoes are a very cheap soft plastic and not at all impressive, but fortunately you can't see them because they are covered by the dress.  Mikaella spent money on the dress and then bought her shoes from the Dollar Store, it seems.

The rosette on the waistband has a jewel that matches the one found on the purse

Mikaella's necklace

Mikaella's pearl bracelet

The purse matches the dress.  The jewel is the same as the one on the waistband.  The purse can open.

Where Mikaella shines is in her accessories.  The jewelry is a lot better quality than even what had been offered with Jordana.  The waistband and purse both have the same flowered rhinestone.  The purse has a silver chain.  It can open, but it doesn't have a Velcro or snap clasp.  Like Jordana's necklace, Mikaella's pendant hangs from a silvery rubber band cord.  However, the glass jewel itself is larger.  It is set inside a heavier silver encasing.  She has a pearl bracelet.

What can be said about blonde Mikaella can be said about brunette Mikaella.  I personally prefer the brunette doll, as I believe she has a pleasanter face.  It is the same expression, but the darker hair and eyes improve the appearance, I feel.

Jordana "welcomes" the usurper

Mikaella tells Jordana that there comes a time in everyone's life where they have to step aside to make room for the next generation.

My Jordana was introduced to Mikaella.  I didn't picture her greeting the new doll with much enthusiasm.  I didn't originally picture Jordana being such a b****.  What has happened is that though I love dolls, I didn't love cleaning my extensive collection--which had grown so big I no longer had shelving for all of them.  Alas, I decided to reduce my housework and sell my collection.  I was planning on keeping Jordana as a model for clothes I plan to make.  It is a pity when I made this choice that I couldn't see dolls as soulless objects.  However, it seems Jordana isn't too happy hanging day after day on my bookshelf without her friends.  She has been giving me dirty looks that frankly have started to tick me off.  I've decided to sell her because I'm tired of looking at her, and hopefully she'll wind up in a home of someone who might appreciate her more.  My mom refuses to sell her for less than $199.99 because she is rare now, so she may be with us for a while.  My mom has even considered buying her from me and keeping her with the idea the price may go higher.  I told her if that be the case, she had better put her away.  I am getting tired of Jordana's sour looks.

The 2013 Holiday Edition Journey Girl Jordana

The question most people are going to ask is, "How does Mikaella compare to Jordana?"

Both dolls have their merits.  As far as looks, I prefer Jordana--who I think is a little prettier.  Jordana's hair, eyes, eyelashes, and shoes were better quality.  She came with underwear.  Though Mikaella's dress is nice too, Jordana's dress was more impressive because it was covered in rosettes.

There are two areas where Mikaella wins over Jordana.  She definitely has better accessories as far as jewelry.  This is where the makers went cheap on Jordana, and it was rather tacky looking when compared to the expensive looking dress.  Jordana's bracelet was a cheap plastic--which wasn't going to hold up--with rhinestones in it.

Though there were some things the makers went cheap on Mikaella, the one good thing about her is that it isn't such a sharp contrast...and this helps the doll's overall appearance.  With Jordana, I found myself saying, "She is so beautiful! It is a shame they used such a cheap material for the bracelet."

The Mikaellas are worth getting for their own merit.  However, I advise you that if you want them--GET THEM NOW! They are only going to become harder to find, and they are only going to get more expensive when that happens.